Father Son and the Holy Spirit Genesis 1: 26,27


Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”


27 God created man in his image;


in the divine image he created him;



male and female he created them.


Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Sprit.


Matthew 1:22,23 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:


23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,


and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”


John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word,


and the Word was with God,


and the Word was God.


2 He was in the beginning with God.


3 All things came to be through him,


and without him nothing came to be. What came to be


4 through him was life,


and this life was the light of the human race;


5 the light shines in the darkness,


and the darkness has not overcome it. 2 Corinthians 3:17,18 17 Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. 18 And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.


1 Corinthians 2:12 And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.


1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?



The Spirit and believers today


God the Holy Spirit is intimately involved in the life of believers today.


He leads us to repentance and gives us new life (John 16:8; 3:5-6).


He lives in us, teaches us and leads us (1 Corinthians 2:10-13; John 14:16-17, 26; Romans 8:14). He leads us through Scripture, prayer and other Christians.


He is the Spirit of wisdom, helping us look at choices with confidence, love and self-control (Ephesians 1:17; 2 Timothy 1:7).


The Spirit circumcises our hearts, seals us and sanctifies us, setting us apart for God’s purpose (Romans 2:29; Ephesians 1:14).


He produces in us love and the fruit of righteousness (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 5:9; Galatians 5:22-23).


He puts us into the church and helps us know that we are God’s children (1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:14-16).


We are to worship God "by the Spirit," with our minds set on what the Spirit wants (Philippians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 7:6; 8:4-5). We strive to please him (Galatians 6:8). If we are controlled by the Spirit, he gives us life and peace (Romans 8:6). He gives us access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). He helps us in our weakness, interceding for us (Romans 8:26-27).



The Holy Spirit also gives spiritual gifts, including leaders for the church (Ephesians 4:11), basic functions within the church (Romans 12:6-8), and some abilities for extraordinary purposes (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). No one has every gift, nor is any gift given to everyone (verses 28-30). All gifts, whether spiritual or "natural," are to be used for the common good, to help the entire church (1 Corinthians 12:7; 14:12). Every gift is important (12:22-26).


Now, we have only the firstfruits of the Spirit, only a deposit that guarantees much more in our future (Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14).


In summary, the Holy Spirit is God at work in our lives. Everything God does is done through his Spirit. Paul therefore encourages us: "Let us keep in step with the Spirit.... Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.... Do not put out the Spirit’s fire" (Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Be attentive to what the Spirit says. When he speaks, God is speaking.


Michael Morrison


thegloryland.com